


All My Tomorrows (and Yesterday's Sorrows)

by pretzel_logic



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Jango Fett Open Seasons (Comics), Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Cal Kestis, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Jango Fett has Issues, M/M, Mandalorian Jango Fett, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Soft Cal Kestis, Time Travel Fix-It, tags will contain spoilers in future
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:21:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28346067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pretzel_logic/pseuds/pretzel_logic
Summary: Cal travels nearly thirty years into the past in order to save the future and finds his path almost immediately entangled with Jango Fett. The Force works in mysterious ways and maybe Cal ended up exactly when and where he needed to be.
Relationships: Cal Kestis/Jango Fett
Comments: 45
Kudos: 240





	1. Chapter 1

Cal wasn't too worried. Getting caught and sold into slavery while he was still trying to orient himself was just about as terrible a start as he could have had but-

They didn't know he was a Jedi. His saber had been left behind by accident. He had BD-1 though, and Cal was certain he saw the droid sneak aboard the spice vessel he got sold to. He wasn't chipped or even collared; these slavers only used shackles. So he had the Force, back-up, and time.

Cal had a lot of time. Decades of time. Traveling to the past to warn the Order about the clones seemed like a good idea when he thought he was going back to the start of the war. Not when he ended up practically thirty years before it! Junda, his best bet at having his story believed, might even still be a padawan.

Cal supposed he should be grateful for all the extra time… as long as he didn't end up spending it all as a slave. At least the shackles and tools he was given to process the spice weren’t playing too much havoc with his psychometry. There were flashes of fear and anger, but mostly it was spice-addled resignation. The imprints helped him automatically fall into a work pattern, but they also hampered his ability to focus on formulating a plan to escape. The Force, when he reached out with it for guidance, kept giving him a 'wait and see' feeling. Not very helpful but, better than nothing.

Then suddenly, unexpectedly, the Force focused with hyper clarity as the ship shuddered. Cal knew down to the narrow in his bones they were under attack, even before the second shudder rocked through the ship. From the ‘crew members only’ section of the ship, multiple slavers came scrambling into the room.

"Pirates, they're going to board us," one of the slavers, a bothan, explained hurriedly to the crew members overseeing production. 

Around him, Cal could feel concern growing amongst the slaves. Pirates could kill them all, uncaring of their status. Pirates could mean freedom or new owners. It really depended on the pirates. Cal couldn't do anything to reassure them and without revealing himself.

"We don't have the numbers to fight off pirates," another crew member said, though Cal couldn't see them from his position.

"What about the Mandalorian?" Another asked and the crew seemed to turn as one to a dark skinned human; even worn down from being enslaved, the man still had a lot of muscle mass to him. His wavy dark brown locks and unkept beard hid most of his features from Cal’s view but he could feel the man’s rage in the force easily enough. "They're some of the galaxy's best fighters, aren't they?"

Cal couldn't help but stare. How in the Corellian Hells did these slavers get a Mandalorian slave? Who would be dumb enough to try? Why were they keeping a Mandalorian slave on a spice freighter of all places? In nothing but shackles?

"When they aren't busy killing each other," a human slaver said scornfully before he approached the slave. "How about it Mando? Fight off the pirates and you'll earn your freedom."

"Hard to fight anything chained up," the 'Mando' replied.

Cal felt ice trail down his spine and his hands felt clammy suddenly. He didn't know what it was about the Mandalorian's voice, but it sounded unpleasantly familiar. Cal didn't know any Mandalorians, why was he reacting to this one?

"That's not an answer. Kill the pirates and never wear chains again. What do you say?" The human slaver pressed as hull breach alarms started to blare. 

"Deal," the Mando agreed, but there was something cruelly satisfied in the Force.

It was all the warning Cal got. The second the Mandalorian - and there was no doubt he was a Mandalorian now - was free he took the blaster offered to him and started to kill the slavers. The slavers barely had time to react, the Bothan was all that remained; spared by falling to the ground in shock.

"We- we had a deal!" the bothan protested, holding her hands up in surrender.

"Oh don't worry, I'll kill the pirates. I'm a man of my word, but I won't risk you breaking your end of the deal," the Mando said, voice calm and assured of his own ability to meet out violence.

"Wa-," Cal opened his mouth to protest, the bothan was surrendering- but a shot rang out as the Mando killed the last slaver before Cal could voice his objection.

The Mando scanned the room, pausing briefly as he met Cal's gaze and raised a questioning brow at Cal's fierce scowl. The Mando didn't press and his gaze moved on.

"My name is Jango Fett and I need six volunteers. Three to help me fight off the pirates, two to guard this room, and one to work on freeing the rest of you," Jango said once he was sure all eyes were on him.

No spoke at first until a red Nautolan raised a shackled hand. "I will help fight," he said, voice rough from the dry atmosphere of the ship and spice.

Jango used his blaster to break the chains to the Nautolan's shackles and handed him a blaster. Slowly others volunteered by speaking up or raising a hand. Taking a deep breath before releasing it Cal knew he needed to speak up.

"I can help too," Cal said and Jango focused on him in obvious surprise.

"Will you now? You didn't seem happy when I killed our masters," Jango asked, voice just as calm as when he killed the bothan slaver.

"The last one surrendered, there was no need to kill them," Cal said, not about to back down.

"I don't leave enemies at my back," Jango said as he moved to break Cal's chains. "Guess that means you'll be with me against the pirates."

"I'm not your enemy," Cal protested.

"No," Jango agreed, surprisingly. "But you're kind. That's almost worse."

Cal sputtered, unable to find words at the weird back-handed compliment. Jango chuckled in amusement and Cal stiffened at the noise. Jango looked at him, startled, and Cal looked back helplessly. Jango's force signature was not one he ever remembered encountering before and while there was something about Jango's face that seemed familiar- Cal couldn't place it. 

There was no time to ask questions though, they had pirates to fight. Jango and Cal seemed to understand that as they left the room with Zig the red Nautolan and a female Zabrak named Saxa. 

The pirates were completely unprepared to go up against a Mandalorian, a Jedi, and two slaves ready to kill for their freedom. Zig and Saxa weren't good for much more than providing cover fire but that was all Cal and Jango needed. Jango made every shot count with deadly accuracy and Cal matched him as he used the Force to guide his shots. They seemed to be doing a good job at repelling the pirates.

Then the pirates caught wind of their resistance and their numbers started to edge near more than they could handle. Cal let Jango take the lead as he took time between shots to use the Force. He didn't do anything flashy, not wanting to become the target of blaster fire without his saber to block the hits. Just used the Force to deflect shots so they missed the four of them.

Then one of the pirates threw a grenade. Jango raised his blaster to shoot it but, even if he detonated it early it was already too close. Cal called on the Force to pull Jango towards him as he pushed the grenade back towards the pirates. It was just enough to spare them taking the brunt of the damage though the blast still knocked him and Jango off their feet.

The pirates were recovering faster than they were when something fell out of the ceiling with a fierce binary war-cry. BD-1 distracted the pirates long enough for Cal to recover and begin shooting. From his side Jango didn't feel all that different in the Force, except his all his killing intent seemed focused on Cal. 

"Jango? You okay? There's still a lot of pirates," Cal asked, trying to prod the Mandalorian into action.

Cal felt Jango's fear and hatred viscerally directed at him before the Mandalorian focused on their enemies. BD did a great job tripping up the pirates as they picked them off before making his way over to Cal.

"Hey, B- hey, wait no!" Cal ordered when his companions aimed their blasters at BD. "He's mine! BD was my droid before I got caught and then sold to the slavers here. Don't shoot him!"

Saxa made an understanding noise. "That's why you were so upset about the slaver. You haven't been a slave long."

"I thought it was obvious," Zig spoke up. "He's in too good of health for a human slave."

"That's not all he is," Jango practically growled out, stalking towards Cal as the Force screamed warnings of danger. Cal wasn't sure what he could do in the corridor of the ship with little room to maneuver. Still, Cal leaped forward and dragged Jango to the ground as blaster fire passed through the air where they had previously stood. 

Beneath him, Jango felt like a mix of confusion and hate. BD took the opportunity to climb onto Cal's shoulder and unnecessarily warned Cal of incoming enemies. 

"Thanks BD," Cal said dryly, the droid either missing his sarcasm or cheerfully ignoring it as it beeped a 'you're welcome'. "Jango, can whatever problem you have wait until there aren't pirates trying to kill us?"

Jango's emotions were too in flux for Cal to properly discern them but eventually he nodded up at Cal. Matter settled for now, the two of them returned to wiping out the attacking pirates. Cal thought for sure that eventually the pirates would cut their losses and run, but the pirates must have been disorganized enough to not realize how many of their people were already dead. It left Cal feeling uneasy, that none of the pirates had tried to run or surrender. 

Surprisingly, Jango didn't immediately try to kill him the second they confirmed all the pirates were dead. 

"You weren't at Galidraan. I'd remember hair like that," Jango stated more than asked, but it still felt like a question.

"Uh, no? I've never even heard of Galidraan. Why?" Cal asked because the truth seemed to be the best option. Although something felt familiar about the name, probably a planet or moon he learned about when studying astronav. Jango sure did give him the feeling of someone he should know, for all Cal was certain he had never heard of him or met him.

"If you two aren't going to kill each other can we get back to the others? The quicker we're all out of chains the happier I'll be," Saxa asked, as she turned her irritated gaze from them to the chains dangling from her still locked shackles.

Cal looked questioningly at Jango since he was the one with the problem. Jango stared back before he looked away to nod at Zig and Saxa. 

"Lead on. We can settle things there," Jango said as he followed Saxa back the way they came.

Zig gave him a searching look once Jango and Saxa were a reasonable distance ahead. "Given how good that man is at killing, I hope you weren't lying about Galidraan."

"I'm really not. I just hope I can convince him of that," Cal agreed with trepidation. 

What had he gotten himself into now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was just supposed to be a time travel fic enjoying how clueless but determined to fix things Cal is. It grew a ship and a lot more plot than I was expecting.


	2. Chapter 2

As it turned out that while the other three slaves Jango freed had made a good headway in freeing those remaining, the shackles were being obstinate. They required different keys to unlock and the slaves had only found two of the suspected five. At least all the chains had been blasted through so everyone had free movement.

Zig took a few others to look for food and water, while Saxa uncovered a med kit and got to work patching up what she could. Cal decided to ignore Jango for the time being and found some tools they could use to break the shackles if necessary. When no extra keys were found, Cal got to work.

"I saw what you did, I felt it," Jango said as Cal worked on breaking shackles. He didn't need to look at Jango to know the other man was still troubled. The Force was uneasy around Jango and Cal felt one wrong move could have the man attacking him. "I've seen abilities like that before, from _Jedi_." Jango spat out the word 'Jedi' with such hatred, the Force felt blindingly dark with it.

Cal grimaced. He was not going to lie, but also he couldn't exactly claim to be a Jedi. His lightsaber was back in the future and with the Order still around in this time period - Cal was an unofficial Jedi at best.

"You're a Jedi?" One of the rodian slaves asked, Cal didn't know her name.

"No. I- I was training to become one. Years ago. But my mas- my teacher and I- we got attacked while on our way to Mygeeto. Our ship was destroyed and my teacher… he didn't survive. I waited for the Order to come for me, but they never did," Cal explained carefully. "So I found a job being a scrapper and things were looking up when- well, I ended up here."

He sure was starting to sympathize with Cere's discretion about her past. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to keep spinning half-truths for too much longer. It was easier than explaining that he was a time traveler, but the dishonesty didn't sit well with Cal.

Although, he had no idea if they would honor his knighting by Cere when Cal went to see the Order. He was young for the rank. The Order might think the rank of senior padawan was more appropriate instead. Especially if they decided that they wanted him to go through some sort of knight trial to prove he had earned the rank...that was even assuming the Order believed him about being from the future.

Jango didn't feel any happier with Cal's confession. A quick glance at him made it clear Jango was focused on him, gaze unwavering.

"How old were you?" Jango asked and there was a weight to his question. Cal got the impression that whatever his answer was, would decide something for the Mandalorian.

"I was twelve, nearly thirteen," Cal answered honestly, unable to tell if that was the right thing to say.

It must have been. Jango didn't feel any better in the Force, but he did feel less upset at Cal specifically.

"You were an adiik," Jango grumbled, more to himself than Cal.

He waited, but Jango said nothing more, clearly lost in thought. Accepting the conversation was over, at least for now, Cal turned his attention back to getting the last of the shackles off the former slaves. When the last cuff was gone, Cal turned his attention back to Jango.

Everyone else was settling down to eat and drink and take comfort from one another in their newfound freedom. Cal had no idea if they were being excluded on purpose, or if it was a subconscious understanding that he and Jango still needed to talk.

"What happened at Galidraan?" Cal asked. Jango _clearly_ didn't like Jedi. He had decided against attacking Cal earlier when he realized Cal wasn't at Galidraan; whatever that meant.

Jango shook his head as he scowled at nothing in particular. "Not something to talk about when we should be celebrating, leave it be kid."

"Cal," he said before he could second guess himself. Cal smiled as Jango turned his attention back on him. "My name is Cal Kestis and I'm 19. I'm hardly a kid."

Jango looked ready to refute that, but something in Cal's expression must have given him pause.

"No, I guess you're not," Jango agreed slowly.

"Hard to be a kid in this galaxy," Cal said, remembering all too well the day he lost everything.

"Galaxy won't change unless we make it," Jango said, and it sounded like something he had learned by rote. "Come on, we should join the others and discuss our next steps."

"Uh, actually, could you help me out first?" Cal asked as he raised his still shackled hands towards Jango. "My set doesn't have a matching key."

Jango raised a brow as he stared down at him. "I wanted to kill you with my bare hands not that long ago."

"But you didn't and you don't want to now," Cal argued with his best inviting smile. "Please? I'd get BD to do it but, he doesn't really have the maneuverability for it."

*I could take the shackles off!* BD protested. *I'd have to take your hands off first but you can just reattach them, right?* the droid went on to ask in binary.

The expression Jango shot BD was a mix of concerned and alarmed. He clearly understood binary. Cal had to bite his lip to keep from assuring Jango that BD was just joking. The droid understood organics didn't work like droids, but liked to joke as if he didn't.

"Let's save that as a last resort," Jango said as he moved to sit in front of Cal and take the preferred tools.

*Spoilsport* BD said as he hopped up to Cal's shoulder to overlook Jango's work.

Cal took the time to observe Jango as well. The nagging feeling that he _knew_ the other man from _somewhere_ hadn't faded: if anything it had only gotten worse. Yet, Cal knew they had never met thanks to the Force and while there were ways to fool the Force, Cal doubted Jango was using any of them... Maybe he was looking at this problem the wrong way. Maybe if he just changed his perspective, he could solve this puzzle.

It was hard to focus though, Cal didn't think he had used the Force all that much but he still felt strained and over-stretched. Belatedly, Cal realized the psychometric visions must have taken more out of him than he had realized. His body automatically trying to process and purge the spice he was breathing in didn't help. Fighting off the pirates must have used up the last of his reserves.

It was like realizing how exhausted he was made it even worse, like the only thing that had kept him going until now was not noticing how much it was costing him.

"...done. Cal? You alright there, vod?" Someone was asking him from somewhere nearby, but it felt like they were far away.

When did he start staring at the floor? Cal looked up and met concerned brown eyes — eyes he knew.

"Thib? I don't feel so good," Cal complained as leaned forward to rest his head against Thib's shoulder. That didn't feel right. Why wasn't Thib in his armor or greys? And when did Thib get so small?

No, wait, it wasn't Thib who was small. It was Cal who was bigger. And Thib was dead. His fighter was shot down in the last space fight over Barack. This wasn't Thib, it had to be another clone. But the clones were all dead, Master Tapal blew up the ship. So this was… this was… Jango?

Jango was a clone?

A warm, borderline hot hand felt his forehead and then someone was cursing in huttese. Thi- no Jango, lifted him and Cal whined as the sudden movement made his head spin. He tried to stay conscious. Clones weren't safe, not anymore. But this one - Jango, felt safe. It didn't make sense.

"Why?" Cal asked. The rest of the question felt too big to voice. Why did your brothers betray us? Why aren't you?

"Passing out in a room full of spice dust isn't going to do you any favors," Jango explained, like that answer related to his question at all.

Then they were moving, faster than Cal could follow and his body decided for him; it was time to pass out. His last thought was being terrified he might not wake up again,

-

[4 months ago… 29 years in the future]

"You really think this temple will let us time travel?" Cal asked dubiously, as he and BD worked to scan the temple and uncover its secrets.

"It's very similar to the Temple on Lothal, which is also rumored to have similar capabilities. Though that temple is mainly used for Knight Trials. This temple… I'm not so sure about," Cere admitted as she worked on writing down all she could remember about the Temple. "Master Cordova didn't think it was even Jedi who constructed this one, but he lost interest once it was clear the Zeffo weren't involved."

"This area has a strong presence. Powerful magics - or Force manipulations - could be performed with the correct preparation," Merrin said, not exactly meditating, but doing something similar. There was a wispy green glow about her, and Cal swore he heard voices whispering when he walked past her.

"I guess BD and I will keep looking around. Greez mentioned there was some comm interference here, so yell for me when dinner is ready," Cal requested as he and BD started to walk down the clearest path.

*Do you think there will be traps? Every temple should have traps. Like giant rolling boulders and pits full of venomous organics!* Beeped BD, adjusting his position on Cal’s shoulder in excitement.

Cal laughed as he patted the top of BD's head. "You watch way too many holodramas with Greef, buddy."

*It's the only time he doesn't shoo me off the couch.* BD said, his trills sounding sulky.

Cal laughed as they wandered further into the temple and lost sight of Cere and Merrin.

-

Cal woke slowly and lazily. He was warm and comfortable in a way he hadn't been in… a long time. His bunk on the Mantis was nice enough, nicer than anywhere he lived on Bracca, but the ship's heating couldn't combat the chill of space. He almost wanted to go back to sleep, but a door opening caught his attention.

There was a clone entering his room. Startled into action, Cal sat up and reached for his lightsaber- only to hiss in pain as Force exhaustion made it feel like his head was being split open.

"Easy there," said the clone- no, it was Jango. It had to be Jango. He was in the past and the clones wouldn't be born for another decade at the earliest. Jango couldn't be a clone, but he had their face. Cal was clear headed enough to see it now, even with Jango's long hair and unkempt beard. There was only one way that was possible; Jango must be the template for the clones. Or well, he would be. Time travel was confusing.

"You're safe. You got sick on the spice freighter, so I moved you to the pirate ship to rest and recover. We're still coupled to the spice freighter and the others are about. Zig made you some broth out of rations. You should try to eat," Jango continued, keeping his voice calm and measured. Making no sudden moves, Jango slowly offered Cal a mug with Zig’s steaming 'soup'.

"Thanks," Cal said, as he accepted the mug.

"You had us worried. You fell apart on us pretty fast," Jango said, as he pulled out the seat by the room's desk to sit in.

"I didn't realize how much I was over exerting myself until I sat still. I probably need at least a day of bed rest yet," Cal admitted. It had been a while since he had experienced Force exhaustion. He took careful sips of his soup; Zig must have watered it down to the point of tastelessness, but the warm liquid was easy on his stomach.

"You missed the celebrations. Your droid is helping us break into some safes we found, and hack the pilot controls. We're not too far from Kashyyyk. Most of us plan to sell what we can for credits, before making it to an asylum world like Alderaan," Jango explained and Cal realized belatedly Jango was debriefing him. "Would you like to go with them?"

"Them? Not you?" Cal asked.

"No," Jango said and… there was something, maybe a lot of things, Jango wasn't saying. "I have unfinished business on Galidraan."

Galidraan again. Cal might have worked out Jango was the clone template, but that world- moon? - was still a mystery to him. Something with Jedi, something bad, must have happened there given Jango's reaction to him earlier. The question was, what?

"You don't have to tell me what happened, but I'd like to know. You did almost attack me over it," Cal requested. He wasn't going to keep pushing Jango for answers. The Mandalorian would either share, or he wouldn't and Cal could respect that.

He'd investigate the second he had a reliable holonet connection, but he'd respect Jango's boundaries.

Jango shook his head. "You really don't know. I shouldn't be surprised after the Jedi abandoned you, but I guess… I thought it would be common knowledge.

“I led a company of Mandalorians to Galidraan. We knew that Death Watch, a terrorist group we were hunting, had connections there. The Governor agreed to hand over information on Death Watch, in return for us taking care of some insurgents," Jango explained, eyes unfocused as he recounted events. He took in a deep, but unsteady breath as his hands curled into fists in his lap.

Cal watched Jango with growing concern. He knew of Death Watch, though he had never served in the Mandalore sector. Some Sith had aligned with Death Watch and killed Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore. Cal didn't know all the details, but Bo-katan Kryze, the former Duchess’ sister, assumed control over the Mandalore sector and asked for Jedi aid in capturing the Sith.

Death Watch playing a role in whatever happened at Galidraan couldn't be good.

"It was a trap... The Governor chose to betray us to Death Watch. I barely escaped the governor's manor with my life. I tried to get to them in time, to warn my people to retreat, but it was too late. The governor had called in the jetiise to arrest us on false charges. We didn't have a choice, we had to fight," Jango continued, his grief and anger growing in his voice. "Instead of being arrested, there was a slaughter: I was the only survivor. The jetiise turned me over to the governor who then stole my armor and sold me into slavery."

"Jango," Cal said helplessly.

Cal wasn't sure what to say to Jango. Unlike Merrin and Cere - unlike himself, he acknowledged - Jango's trauma was still fresh. He hadn't had time to process and mourn the events of Galidraan, because being sold into slavery meant Jango had to focus on surviving.

Also worrying was that knowing what he now did, iIt didn't make any sense to use this man as a clone template for an army to serve the Jedi. Cal could not see how Jango, as he currently was, would ever agree to such a thing. Unless… unless the clones were always meant to betray the Jedi. Who would do that though? Why would they go through all the effort for such a plan? Things were so much more complicated than Cal had understood, and Jango was only a small fraction of something bigger. Cal was certain of that.

His original plan was to go straight to Coruscant Temple. He needed to talk to the Jedi Council and convince them that everything he claimed was true. It wouldn't be an easy task, especially without his lightsaber, but maybe BD-1 could help there? The droid had several recordings of Master Cordova.

But now, after meeting Jango, his mission to speak with the Jedi Council could wait. The Force had brought him this far back for a reason. He had time, as Cal was frequently reminding himself. If he parted ways from Jango now, he might never see the other man again. Parting ways with Jango didn't seem like a good idea, but Cal couldn't tell if it was the Force or his own concerns pushing him to feel that way. Maybe both.

"So you're going back there for your armor?" Cal asked.

"Yes and to find Tor Vizsla- the leader of Death Watch. The governor is still my best lead," Jango said and Cal shivered at the hatred he could sense in the other.

"I'll come with you," Cal offered. "Not- not forever. I have people I need to talk to, but it's not urgent. This seems more important."

"And if I don't want your help?" Jango asked, looking genuinely displeased by Cal's offer.

"Jango… you said you lost all your people on Galidraan. You shouldn't go back there alone, not when you don't have to," Cal said carefully. Jango's grief was still so raw Cal could sense it in the Force whenever Jango let himself dwell on it.

Jango looked down at his hands, curling and uncurling them into fists. "You shouldn't come with me. Last time I led anyone I got them all slaughtered."

"That's not true," Cal protested immediately. He smiled when Jango looked up at him in confusion, ready to argue. "The slaves on that spice freighter survived. I survived despite you wanting me dead."

Jango smiled at that and even laughed. "You don't have any self preservation instincts, do you?"

"I trust you," Cal said and meant it wholeheartedly. He trusted the Force, and the Force told him to trust Jango.

Jango looked like the declaration hurt him, but Cal couldn't regret it.

"Alright. If you want to come with me to Galidraan, I won't stop you," Jango agreed. "Now finish your broth before it gets cold."

Cal ducked his head and hid a smile behind the mug as he continued to drink his ration broth. It was nice to not be alone, and have someone that cared about him again. Even if Jango was a cranky papa massiff about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adding Hurt/Comfort tag because I cannot believe I didn't before. Uh.... some minor edits cause this chapter made me realize my math was bad.


	3. Chapter 3

It was hard to understand why Jango cared so much about the welfare of a dar'jetii. After everything the Jedi did at Galidraan... but Cal wasn't a Jedi. He was abandoned by the Jedi and hadn't been one for years. Jango had been so enraged when he saw Cal use his powers; he was blinded to everything else but his desire to see Cal dead. Cal had to save them both from the pirates, he had forgotten about that in his anger. Cal chose to save them both, knowing what Jango had intended. Jango couldn't find it in himself to hate someone so determined to help others; dar'jetii or no.

Jango's first assessment of Cal was that he was kind. The dar'jetii had only reaffirmed that assessment since. It was dangerous to be kind; it left you open to potential attacks and betrayal. Watching Cal be kind toward the other freed slaves, it made Jango want to loom dangerously to help dissuade anyone attempting to take advantage of such kindness. Even if it was unnecessary. Cal was just… he was too kind.

Jango had seen firsthand what kindness got people. His family was murdered by Death Watch for it. There were so many jobs out in the galaxy, well paying jobs, to help some sleemo hurt and subjugate and maybe even enslave people because they were kind. Some assholes looked at that kindness and saw it as weak, as an excuse to take advantage of and hurt people.

(There were other jobs, so many more jobs, that paid osik from kind people begging for help. Jaster, with a bitter smile, used to tell him ‘noble causes feed the soul not the wallet.’ They should have known Korda 6 was a trap.)

How could Cal experience loss and abandonment, and still choose to be kind? 

"Rwookrrorro's port is probably the best to aim for," Cal said as he studied the astronav map of Kashyyyk. "My Shyriiwook is pretty basic and I don't think anyone else is fluent. That port should hopefully have some translators or protocol droids."

"I know Shyriiwook. My accent is thick but passable," Jango admitted, pulling himself from his thoughts to focus. "You look ready to pass out again. Go back to bed, Cal. We've got this."

From Cal's lap, settled like a tooka, BD trilled his agreement on the assessment. 

Cal shook his head. "I don't like the shape the spice freighter is in. The patchwork everyone did should see us landing to Kashyyyk safely but ships in that poor condition always have hidden issues. I want to be on hand in case there's problems."

Jango agreed, which was why they were using the pirate ship to haul the spice freighter. Aside from Cal and Jango, everyone that had experience with ship maintenance and piloting was on the freighter. If it helped with Cal's anxiety, Jango wouldn't force Cal back to bed as long as he stayed seated.

It did raise some questions about what to do after they landed. Jango had thought he would take one of the ships and head for Galidraan. Now, it was looking like the others would need the pirate ship to get to Alderaan and the spice freighter was destined for a junkyard. 

Well, they hadn't spaced any of the bodies. Maybe some of the spicers or pirates had some bounties Jango could collect. The Bounty Hunters’ Guild would probably take a cut for not having the bounty pucks, but as long as they got their cut, they'd be happy. Even if Jango was presumed dead after the slaughter of Galidraan, most organizations waited at least a decade before officially closing an account. That would get him- get them enough funds to pay for passage to Galidraan.

Jaster’s Legacy had enough security measures in place, and was an old enough model, no one would have made off with it. At least Jango hoped it was still there, he dreaded the idea of losing yet another thing Jaster had entrusted to him. Jango had left Concord Dawn with nothing and Jaster had left everything - only to lose it all anyways. Being able to reclaim his buir's ship was at least something he could fix.

Not like he could reclaim the title of Mand'alor, even if he restored his honor. Who would follow him? Why would the remnants of the True Mandalorians follow him after he got their families slaughtered? The survivors were better off finding someone else to follow.

The comms come to life with Kashyyyk's port authorities' inquiry about their destination and intentions. 

"How much do you want to bet they've already pinged one of these ships as suspicious?" Jango asked wryly before turning on the comms and communicating the need for an emergency landing for two ships.

Cal gave him an unimpressed look. "I don't need the Force to know that's a sucker bet."

*Chances of them blowing us up in orbit, instead?* BD suggested, soundly almost hopeful at the prospect.

"For a tiny little droid, you sure do have an appetite for destruction," Jango said if only to dispel the uncomfortable lull.

Cal laughed, but the moment of levity was brief as Jango had to focus on flying them to port and the freighter started to experience problems - as expected.

Upon docking, they were met by port authorities, port emergency crews, and what Jango suspected were Kashyyyk's security force. They were clearly expecting criminals desperate to escape from volatile ships, not a bunch of freed slaves. To their credit, they adapted to the situation quickly.

Jango learned easily enough that Wookies had no love for slavery and admired them for successfully freeing themselves. Wookie hospitality was a trait to be appreciated, as they waived docking fees and set about getting everyone a medical scan. Spice withdrawal had started to affect some of them and others were horrified to learn they were chipped. 

There were enough translators available that Jango's vocal cords were spared the stress of speaking shyriiwook. He lost track of everyone but Cal, who was made to sit on a crate after he was looked over and hadn't moved since. The younger man was admiring the jungle beyond port with the sort of wonder only people used to desolate worlds had. Satisfied Cal wasn't pushing himself, Jango focused on discussing matters with Kashyyyk's security forces.

Security wanted to impound both ships and insisted traveling to Alderaan for their anti-slavery outreach program was unnecessary. Wookies were happy to house them all until a representative arrived and helped all the former slaves get where they needed to go and set up for new lives as Freed. Zig and Saxa, as spokespersons for the majority of the former slaves, found such arrangements acceptable. 

Security was less thrilled with Jango's demand to be compensated for whatever bounties were out on the slavers and pirates. Jango supposed they saw the value in the prizes brought to them and had hoped to keep the profits for themselves. It was comforting, that small gesture of petty greed. Good to know not all wookies were selflessly kind. Jango didn't know if he could handle a whole group of people like Cal.

Matters settled for the time being, Jango sat down on a crate next to Cal as they waited to be escorted to their temporary lodgings. It would take security at least a day to handle all the bounties and it'd be good to spend time with their fellow survivors until it came time to part ways.

"Any luck getting us a flight to Galidraan?" Cal asked.

"No. I got us a flight to Lantillies. There's frequent cargo ships headed that way to deliver wood for the shipyards. You can pick out a ship there," Jango said and did his best not to smirk at Cal's surprise.

"I can pick out a ship? For both of us right? You're not trying to ditch me?" Cal asked, oscillating between excitement and suspicion.

Jango chuckled. "With luck my ship is still docked on Galidraan somewhere. I'd rather not leave you stranded there," he explained and tried not to think too hard on his words. Cal said he had places to be and Galidraan was just Jango's first stop on his path to recovering his honor; on recovering his right to call himself Mandalorian. Jango couldn't expect Cal to continue to follow him, not when part of him was still reluctant to even let Cal travel with him as far as Galidraan.

"O-oh. Well, Dathomir isn't that far from Mandalorian space. Aren't you headed back home after Galidraan?" Cal asked.

Jango felt like he swallowed a cup full of broken glass. "What home!?" He snapped before he could control himself and Cal leaned away from him in surprise. "My family is dead. My buir is dead. My vode are dead. There is no 'home' for me."

Jango half expected platitudes and apologies to spill forth from Cal's mouth. Instead the dar'jetii frowned as he stared down at the ground, gaze distant, as he hugged BD-1as if it were a plush.

"Yeah… feels like you're being suspended over a dark and endless abyss, doesn't it?" Cal asked.

Jango's heart ached at the understanding in those words. Cal knew what it was like to be in Jango's position and that was why Jango could tolerate the dar'jetii. The relief of knowing he wasn't alone and Cal's kindness outweighed Jango's misgivings.

Then Cal looked back up at Jango, a small bitter smile easing the shadows still lingering in his gaze. "But you know what helped me, Jango? Finding people who cared and building a new family with friends. A new home."

"What happened to them?" Jango asked thoughtlessly because it was obvious something had. Cal was alone aside from his droid and didn't seem to have anyone to contact; just vague people he needed to talk to... on Dathomir. A planet apparently near the Mandalore sector but not one he knew.

"I had to leave them behind," Cal whispered, barely loud enough for Jango to hear. 

Jango reached out to place a comforting hand on Cal’s shoulder. Cal took it as an invitation to slump into Jango's side, turning Jango's gesture into an one-armed hug. Jango blinked into the strands of red hair suddenly blocking his sight before turning his face away. 

This wasn't what Jango had intended, but it was fine. They could stay like this for a bit. Though if Cal fell asleep on him Jango reserved the right to give him an unpleasant wake up call.

Taking a moment to sit and relax was nice.

-

The representative from Alderaan was still a week out when the credits for the bounties started arriving. Just in time for their flight to Lantillies. Between the Guild fees and the reduced reward for corpses, their fight for freedom netted them a nice sum of 83 thousand credits. Their fellow Freed weren't likely to need the funds, but Jango still gave Zig and Saxa a fourth of the prize money to distribute as needed.

"Jango," Zig said warily, uncomfortable with the blood money.

"I'd give you more, but I had to tip Kashyyyk's Security force for claiming the bounties on our behalf," Jango said apologetically. 

Truthfully Zig and Saxa deserved half the reward for their help but getting a decent ship under 60 thousand credits was going to be challenging enough. At least Zig and the others would get help from the Alderaan program. Choosing to go their own way meant he and Cal would have to support themselves financially from here on out. Jango didn't want to touch his personal accounts until Tor was dead in case the activity somehow tipped off Death Watch that he was free.

"Thank you," Saxa said bluntly as she took the credits Zig still hadn't touched. "It's nice that the Wookies and Alderaanis are helping us out of the goodness of their hearts, but I'm sure some of us will appreciate not being complete charity cases. I sure do."

"I wish I could do more," Jango admitted, hating the feeling of inadequacy.

"You and Cal did most of the work in freeing us and now you've given us funds to help support us. Jango, you've done more than enough," Zig said.

"Speaking of our not-Jedi, where is the redhead and his little battle bot?" Saxa asked, looking around like she expected Cal to somehow be hiding behind Jango.

Not that Jango could entirely blame her. He and Cal had stayed close since Cal's sickness on the spice freighter. Cal watched him not with suspicion but with trepidation. Like, if he took his eyes off Jango, then Jango would take the opportunity to abandon him. The rational part of Jango's mind acknowledged Cal's concern was valid, Jango was tempted to head for Galidraan on his own. Why he stayed, why he was allowing Cal to travel with him was something Jango couldn't explain, even in the sanctity of his own mind.

"There’s some wookie chieftain he wanted to talk to before we left. I think it was some Force nonsense," Jango explained, letting himself scowl even if he didn't feel irritated. 

Although realizing he wasn’t irritated, was actually irritating him. Jango was growing tired of how confusing his feelings about Cal were. Going from wanting to murder someone to wanting their company to having the inexplicable urge to toss them off a cliff couldn't be healthy.

Zig and Saxa shared some expression between themselves that Jango couldn’t decipher.

“I’m glad to know you two are getting along and have settled things between yourselves. I was concerned at first, when you said the two of you would be traveling on your own together,” Zig said after a moment.

“It’s Cal’s choice,” Jango admitted, unable to meet Zig’s gaze for some reason.

“Uh-huh, you’re just not telling him no or ditching him,” Saxa said, disbelievingly. “And buying him a ship. You move fast Mando."

"It's not like that. I'm merely being pragmatic," Jango protested, expression caught somewhere between a scowl and a frown. 

"Right. Just for that I want to be in the front row of seating for your wedding," Saxa said. 

Jango opened his mouth to argue - Mandalorian weddings don't have ceremonies like that and there wouldn't be one regardless - when the cry of an animal echoed throughout the port. More than a few people looked around in alarm, including locals, as another cry echoed. Over the treeline a large avian creature rapidly approached the port.

"What is that?" Zig asked, caught somewhere between awe and fear.

The locals, Wookie or otherwise, seemed mostly confused by the creature's approach. Jango relaxed at their calm and drew Saxa's attention to it in order for her to relax as well. "No idea but I don't think it's here to eat anyone," Jango said as the bird started to slow and descend.

That was when Jango spotted the rider on the creature's back… or riders Jango corrected as BD-1 peaked his head over Cal's shoulder. The sight made Jango's mouth go dry. His parents and then Jaster used to tell him stories of past Mandalorians who rode dragons - Basiliskians. Jango used to dream of riding into battles and exploring worlds with one until Jaster told him they were extinct. Seeing Cal hop off the back of the avian creature, smiling and completely at ease with the creature felt like something out of a children's story.

Jango didn't think he had ever felt so attracted to someone in his life. He must have made some noise or his face gave away his thoughts because Saxa and Zig both gave him appraising looks.

"Front row seat Jango," Saxa reiterated, tone oozing smugness. 

Jango turned away from the spectacle Cal was making to scowl at Saxa. He was grateful for the distraction to get his thoughts in order as Cal ran up to them. 

"Hey! Looks like I managed to make it back with time to spare. Great, I wanted to say good-bye to you guys before Jango and I head out," Cal said, completely ignoring the giant avian creature lounging on the tarmac behind him. It was acting like an overgrown tooka enjoying a sunny spot.

"The others are certainly going to be sad they missed your send off," Zig said with amusement as he looked pointedly at the avian creature preening its wing feathers.

"Huh?" Cal asked. "Oh! You mean the Shyyyo bird. Yeah, they're a pretty rare sight since they spend most of their time in their nests digesting food. I'm happy I found one that needed to go hunting soon. If I waited for the regular transports to port I probably would have had to run to make it to the ship before lift off. They're… uh, not quite fully awake yet. As long as no one harasses or crowds them too much they'll probably just sit there for a bit. So if others want to come see the shyyo bird they have time."

Saxa made an odd nasal noise that seemed to catch in her throat. "Yeah, they'll just never believe us that you rode in on one."

"Well, good luck you two. I hope Alderaan is able to help you and everyone else. You guys have my comm code if you ever need my help or just want to say hi," Cal said as gave Zig and then Saxa a hug. The nautolan took the gesture far better than Saxa did.

"Of course we'll keep in touch Cal. You might not have been with us long, but we all suffered together; we should strive to heal together as well," Zig said to Cal, but he didn't miss how the Nautolans gaze drifted to him.

"Speak for yourself, Zig. Zabrak aren't nearly as social as Nautolans. My people prefer some alone time for healing and self reflection, maybe a companion or two - if we can tolerate them," Saxa said. Her tone was pointed but she kept her gaze focused on Cal.

Shabuire, the both of them. Cal seemed to get there was a conversation within a conversation, but didn't ask.

"Ret'urcye mhi," Jango said, giving Saxa and Zig a cordial nod before heading for the cargo ship that was taking them to Lantilles. Cal hurriedly followed.

"What was that all about back there?" He asked once they were onboard. "Did Zig and Saxa have a falling out?"

"I wish," Jango muttered before shaking his head and saying clearer. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it Cal."

"Uh… ok," Cal agreed hesitantly and left matters at that.

Now if only Jango's mind could drop the subject. The trip to Lantilles was going to be a long one.

-

The journey to Lantillies went without issue, the days blending into another until they reached their destination. The spice-addiction patches the healers gave him were helping to smooth out the withdrawal, but didn't spare him the headaches. It was probably a factor in how exhausted Jango felt.

Jango had been on long grueling campaigns through unpleasant terrain. He knew how to endure long security shifts with nothing eventful happening. His masters as a slave worked him and the others for long shifts with too few and too short breaks. Jango knew how to endure and had the stamina to see him through. Yet, ship shopping with Cal somehow tested his reserves in ways Jango had not anticipated.

Cal, as it turned out, was the type of ship shopper who liked to inspect the entire ship, in detail. It had been startling with the first ship. Cal had said he did scrap work for years, but Jango hadn't realized it was ship scrapping on Bracca with the guild. Not until Cal disappeared mid-sales pitch only to return dirtier than before, complaining about the terrible shape of some parts.

It had been amusing with the second ship dealership. Jango enjoyed watching that twi'lek salesman realize abruptly that he couldn't swindle the two of them. 

By the time Jango was fairly certain they had looked at every ship - new and used - within the hemisphere he was exhausted. He was more than ready to just force Cal to pick a ship or call it quits for the evening. Jango didn't understand how Cal was still going strong while Jango felt so drained. Cal was the one inspecting all the ships, while Jango just listened to the same sales pitches ad nauseum.

Of course, that's when the latest salesperson, this one a kiffar judging by their tattoos, showed them a ship that made Cal stare in surprised awe. Jango knew then they had found their ship.

Kriffing finally.

"This is a HWK-290, a light freighter model, from the Corellian Engineering Corporation. Previous and only owner was a courier and did modify the craft to expand the living quarters at the cost of the guest bedrooms. The captain’s quarters were left to market standard, while the crew quarters were modified to mirror it. So no need to fight over the bedrooms if that's a concern," the kiffar explained as she pointedly eyed Jango up and down with interest. 

"A bed is a bed," Cal said dismissively as he scanned what exposed guts were visible in the cargo bay. He was walking towards an electrical panel and would probably disappear at some point into the maintenance shafts. 

Jango bit his lip to keep from laughing at how that didn't answer the saleswoman's real question. "Two bedrooms suits us," Jango assured her with a smile he hoped was charming. It was nice to focus on the woman and her interest in him and forget the sight of Cal astride the Shyyyo bird. Being friends with a former jedi already left him conflicted, he didn't want to humor his attraction. Even if he was always aware of it, like an enemy lurking just out of range.

"This ship looks like it was really well maintained for a courier. Why was it sold?" Cal asked.

Looking between the two of them hesitantly, the kiffer put back on her customer service smile. "Ah, well, the HWK-290 has something of a love it or hate it piloting system," she explained to them vaguely as she led them to the cockpit and Jango immediately saw what the problem was. There were no viewports within the cockpit, instead a large hologram display curved around the pilot seats. "CEC decided to try to give the cockpit more protection by removing viewports and using a holographic system instead."

Jango grimaced in distaste. That meant if the sensors failed you were flying as good as blind. Not a system Jango would be too keen to put his trust in during a firefight. Cal didn't seem to mind, looking more curious than anything. Then again, a dar'jetii probably didn't have to worry about things like sightlines. Cal had been able to sense trouble before it showed itself when they fought off the pirates.

Jango could tell this was the ship they were buying. Cal looked like he belonged in the pilot chair as he booted up the console and explored the controls.

"What's the price on this one?" Jango asked, letting his distaste for the piloting system show. Between his obvious reservations and the kiffar's unsubtle interest in him, as long as you weren't Cal, Jango thought he had a good chance at getting a great deal.

"Market value places this model around fifty-five thousand used. Although the price is subjective to any modifications you wish to add on. For this model pilot goggles are a popular alternative to the hologram screens," the salesperson said.

Jango shook his head. "That would cause more problems without solving the main issue with such a system. What about defense systems? We're headed further into the Outer Rim and some armaments are a must."

"I can handle installation if that will save us some credits," Cal offered, even as he was opening a control panel to study the wiring within. 

From there the real haggling began. They had enough credits for the ship and the modifications, with a few thousand to spare to stock the ship. Within a week they would be heading for Galidraan and the beginning of Jango's revenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hover text baby! click if you're on mobile and maybe hold down? it's a bit jumpy.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm [feelinkeeli](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/feelinkeeli) and [pretzel-log1c](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/pretzel-log1c) on tumblr. Come stop by and say hello. I do post wip snippets wednesdays and sundays unless I post something those days.
> 
> [I made a Spotify playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3ZemrwPREVsnWbHBg4StOt?si=-SrfU-PtSuiQeO5KYW7aPQ&utm_source=native-share-menu)


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